Monday, 30 May 2011

Wry Neck in Rabbits

Wry neck in rabbits can be a sad sight for some bunny owners. In the information below I will tell you all about wry neck in rabbits.

This is where they have a head tilt. As well a an immune disorder and can be in the brain, eye or ear. The side that their head tilts to is the side that they have something wrong.

Symptoms

causes or the head tilt are:

middle/inner ear infection

stroke

trauma

a cancer called neoplasia

and

cervical muscle contracion

The ways to spot if your bunny has this is:

tilted head

walking in circles

rolling (in later stages)

lack of movement around the cage (staying in one corner)

loss of appetite

weepy eye

darting eye

staying low to the floor

weight loss

dehydration

and

staring at nothing

Treatment

The eye pointing down will need an ointment to keep it moist. Try to pick your bunny up as less as possible. When picking them up, hold them close to your body so they feel stable. Have something like a rolled up towel or a teddy bear that looks like a bunny near him so when he looses his balance, he won't roll over.

Make sure your bunny keeps eating and that you are there to hand feed him and encourage him. Make sure to feed him a variety of greens, veggies and fruits as they my not eat their pellets. As well as making sure that they get lots of hay.

If they stop eating, you have to be prepared to syringe feed them. If they stop eating, then he will die if you don't get any food into his stomach. Try to feed him as much as you can at once when syringe feeding. Also as frequently as you can.

Prevention

To prevent this from happening again, you need to make sure that they get good ventilation (this will reduce any respiratory infections that your bunny could get). Also, good sanitation would help. I have heard that house rabbits may get this more because they are closer to household waste.

Here are some bunny products which you may find interesting!

If you have any questions or concerns about wry neck in rabbits, comment on this post.